Hayate Takes the Cake
by T-phon
Summary: Newly-inaugurated Fuhrer Mustang plans to ask Riza Hawkeye a very important question at his inaugural ball. Unfortunately, he has trouble getting her alone as she tries to hunt down a hyped-up Hayate, accidentally set loose into the party. Royai.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Newly-inaugurated Fuhrer Mustang plans to ask Riza Hawkeye a very important question at his inaugural ball. Unfortunately, he has trouble getting her alone as she tries to hunt down a hyped-up Hayate, accidentally set loose into the party. Royai.**

**Chapter 1 of 3**

* * *

"Clip?"

Riza Hawkeye passed back the gold hair clip, intricately shaped to look like a flower. She had originally scoffed when Roy had offered to put her hair up, but looking into the mirror now she was glad she had let him do so. His youth spent doing his "sisters'" hair at Madame Christmas' had served him well; the twist he had put her hair in was far more elaborate than anything she could manage. Also, she rarely refused an opportunity to have Roy run his hands through her hair. Riza felt him press a light kiss to the base of her neck, just above the collar of her gown.

"Done."

Riza turned around and began straightening Roy's tie, which he had done haphazardly with the knowledge that she would fix it for him regardless of how carefully he originally did it. "Are you nervous?"

"We've been to balls before." He ran his hands over his hair, making sure it was staying smoothed in place.

"We haven't been to balls centered around _you_, though." She licked her finger and reached up to smooth back one escaped hair near his ear.

"The Inauguration ceremony this morning took place without a hitch, and that was what I was most worried about. I'm sure I'll be fine tonight; after all, I've got my _queen_ by my side." He cupped her face in his hand.

"Very funny, _sir_." Riza pulled away, bending down to fasten the straps on her shoes. "But as far as anyone knows, I'm still just your subordinate." Though she knew that the people of Amestris had their suspicions… and that the rumors weren't wrong. Riza stood and walked over to Black Hayate, sleeping on the bed with his legs in the air. She scratched his belly, smiling when his back legs twitched.

"Do you think he'll be all right, locked in here for the night?" Roy looked skeptically at Hayate as he pulled his suit jacket on.

Riza sighed. "There's no other option. I couldn't find anyone to watch him, and formal military functions overstimulate him. He'd go berserk if we let him roam free. I'm sure he'll be fine for just a few hours."

Roy nodded. Ex-Fuhrer Grumman, recognizing that the Fuhrer mansion was a much more central and secure location than Roy's apartment when it came to getting to and from inaugural events, had been letting the two stay at the mansion before he "officially" moved out and they "officially" moved in. The Inauguration Ball, traditionally hosted by the former Fuhrer, was to take place just outside, in the mansion's spacious backyard. Roy and Riza had been listening to the set-up crew all afternoon.

A knock on the door caused both Roy and Riza to jump a little. "Are the two of you decent?" Grumman's voice was muffled through the door.

"Yes! You can come in!" Riza rolled her eyes. Since they had started staying in the house a few days ago, Grumman had constantly been trying to catch them doing anything promiscuous.

The door opened and Grumman stuck his head in. "I thought I'd tell you that most of the guests have arrived, so you might want to head down to the garden now." He looked Riza up and down, grinning at her crimson form-fitting v-neck dress that came down to the middle of her calf. "Doesn't my granddaughter look stunning, Mustang?"

Roy smiled. "She does, indeed, sir."

Grumman chuckled. "Your speech this morning was something else, Fuhrer Mustang. But I'm more eager to hear the speech you give tonight!"

Riza glanced over at Roy, who had suddenly turned bright red. "Another speech?" This was news to her. Was Grumman referring to the toasts?

Roy shook his head, his cheeks still pink. "I was meaning to tell you about it, but it can wait for a bit. I think we should go down now." He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, avoiding her eyes.

Hayate's ears perked up as he watched them leave. "Behave, Hayate!" Riza called out, making sure the door closed completely behind them. She pushed concerns about Hayate to the back of her mind; for now, she had to figure what was going on with Roy.

* * *

Roy mentally cursed at Grumman. That old man's meddling was going to ruin everything. He subtly checked his jacket pocket with his free hand, making sure that he had remembered the small box.

Of course he had been meaning to discuss this with Riza for days, but had always backed out of it when the opportunity arose. It wasn't that he thought she would say no, but that it was a possibility. They had been secretly dating for years, ever since the Promised Day. They had been acting like a married couple for even longer. Would Riza be willing to put a name to what they had? Or would she rather continue their romance as a label-less relationship? Labels didn't change what they meant to one another, but he longed to be able to take Riza to functions as his wife rather than just as his assistant. He wanted the public to know and accept what they were to one another, now that his office allowed it.

He sighed, earning another concerned glance from Riza. He could tell she knew something was up. He had wanted to ask her in private before publicly asking tonight, and his time was running out. Perhaps he could briefly take her aside after they greeted everyone? They could easily duck into the hedges for a private moment, and any potential scandal would be cleared by an announcement of engagement... hopefully.

"So look who _finally_ made it to Fuhrer!" Roy's concentration was broken as he and Riza walked down the steps to the garden and were greeted by a familiar former-state alchemist.

"Hello, Fullmetal. And here I had hoped that you wouldn't make it." Grasping Edward Elric's hand in a firm handshake, Roy was actually glad for the distraction. He likewise shook hands with Al, standing beside his brother.

"Are you kidding? Al and I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Edward grinned, but then remembered something. He reached into his pocket and fished around for a few moments before pulling out two envelopes. He handed one to Roy, and one to Riza. "Winry couldn't make it, but she wanted me to give those to you." Edward looked away and mumbled, "They're, um, wedding invitations."

Riza looked delighted. "Congratulations, Edward!" She smiled at Al. "And it's good to see you again, Alphonse. You've grown quite a bit since we last saw you!"

Al blushed. "Thank you, Lieu- I mean, Captain Hawkeye."

The smell of cigarette smoke invaded the air as Havoc and Breda approached, with Fuery scampering behind them.

"Put it out, Havoc," Roy admonished. "Outside or not, this is a formal event."

"Yeah, yeah." Havoc rolled his eyes and dropped the cigarette, crushing it into the dirt with his heel. "We just thought that the new Fuhrer might want a drink before greeting the rest of the brass that you couldn't care less about. You in?"

"That might help, actually." Roy tugged at his collar, Fullmetal's wedding invitation heavy in his hand. He slipped it into his jacket, right next to the ring. He offered to do the same with Riza's, and she handed hers to him. "No Falman, tonight?" He raised an eyebrow at Havoc.

Havoc shrugged. "He mentioned that he would probably be late, coming down from Briggs and all."

Roy nodded. "He's probably on the same train as General Armstrong. She didn't want to leave Briggs a minute before she had to." He turned to Riza. "Would you like a drink, Captain?"

"Some sparkling wine would be nice, Fuhrer. I think I glimpsed Lieutenant Catalina just now, and I would like to go talk to her."

Roy smiled. "Alright then." He and the men started walking toward the open bar, set up in the corner of the garden. "Come on, Fullmetal, Al. You're both old enough to drink, now, right?"

Ed and Al laughed as they hurried to catch up with them, but Fuery lingered behind.

Fuery looked sheepishly at Riza. "Captain Hawkeye?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Fuery?"

"You didn't happen to bring Black Hayate, did you? I haven't seen him in a while, and I was wondering if he was here?" Fuery was mumbling, digging the tip of his shoe into the dirt; formal functions clearly weren't his thing, and an escape would likely do him good.

"Upstairs, third door on the right. But make sure that he doesn't get out - you know he doesn't handle parties well."

Fuery saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" With a nod from Riza, he hurried inside. Keeping Hayate confined upstairs couldn't be too difficult, could it?

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of 3!**

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Kain Fuery opened the door to the upstairs bedroom and peeked inside. Black Hayate, still sprawled on the bed, rolled over and stood, ears perked in curiosity about his visitor. Realizing that it was Fuery, his tail began to wag. He let out a small "_yip_" as he leaped down from the bed.

"Hey, buddy!" Fuery flipped on the light switch and walked into the room, crouching down to pet the Shiba Inu. Hayate climbed into his lap and licked his face, clearly glad to see him. "Watch the glasses, boy!" Fuery laughed. "Your mom's been so busy lately, I hardly get to see you!" He scratched behind the dog's ears. Hayate basked in the attention for a few moments, but a clattering from the floor below soon distracted him. He quirked his head toward the door, staring out.

"Oh, that was probably just the caterers bringing out more plates. There's a huge buffet down there; the cake alone is bigger than I am!" Fuery began to smooth down the fur along Hayate's back, but Hayate shook him off. Hayate scrambled out of Fuery's lap and began walking toward the open door, peering back at Fuery with a whine. Fuery quickly stood to block his path.

"Oh no, Hayate! Your mistress clearly said that the Fuhrer Mustang's inaugural ball would be too overwhelming for you!" Fuery tried to look away from Hayate's begging eyes. Hayate whined again, and Fuery hesitated. "Well, I'm sure that if I kept you with me, and if it's just for a few minutes, it should be okay... right?" Hayate barked. "Alright then." Fuery scooped down to pick the dog up, but Hayate had other plans. Winding through Fuery's legs, Black Hayate shot out the door and down the hallway, leaving Fuery too confused to react until the dog was halfway down the stairs. By the time Fuery reached the bottom of the stairs, Hayate had disappeared through the door to the garden, lost in the sea of guests.

"Hawkeye's gonna kill me!"

* * *

"So then I told him that, until he quits smoking, I won't date him. Which was when Jean threw his cigarettes into the river! So we have a date next Wednesday night." Rebecca Catalina took another big gulp of wine.

"Really? Because Havoc was smoking when he arrived tonight." Riza took a more delicate sip of her sparkling wine, savoring the burn of the carbonation against her tongue.

Rebecca sighed. "I know. But it would be cruel of me to just expect him to quit cold turkey, so it's really the gesture that counts." She raised an eyebrow as she swirled the contents of her glass. "Speaking of gestures, though - I completely expected a certain Roy Mustang to use the gallantry of his inauguration to make a special one-kneed gesture toward you. What gives?"

Riza watched the golden bubbles rise to the top of her flute as she carefully selected the words for her response. "Such a romantic move probably wouldn't be appropriate at a formal, military event meant to celebrate the new leader of this nation. Furthermore, such a move is hardly necessary. I am his personal assistant at the office, where we maintain a superior and subordinate relationship, and his romantic partner in private, where things are more equal. Getting married is such a public thing - I'm sure he realizes that it could potentially shift our current dynamic."

Rebecca "_tsked_" and shook her head. "You're just saying that as an excuse; it would hardly change anything. Plus, you'd be the Fuhrer's wife - you could do whatever you want... within the realm of legality, of course! No one's going to stop you from doing what you've always done just because the two of you are married." Rebecca frowned at her now-empty glass.

"But we don't even know if he actually wants to marry me!" Riza shocked herself at her own outburst. This wasn't the first time Rebecca had pried into her marital future, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Not want to- Riza!" Rebecca looked aghast. "Every time I catch him watching at you, he looks as if he wants to take you on the nearest horizontal surface until you pop out ten children, _all_ of which he'd name Maes Mustang! Of course he wants to marry you!"

"I'm... not certain how to respond to that."

"Well, you don't have to, because I'm going over to get more wine." Rebecca turned her glass upside down to emphasize its emptiness. "And here comes Fuhrer Hotpants right now, so maybe you should come up with nine other names for children before he reaches- oof!" Riza dug her elbow into Rebecca's side.

"That's enough of that." Riza turned her head in the direction Rebecca was looking to see that Roy really was heading over. He already looked tired, but his mouth turned up into a smile when Riza made eye contact with him.

"What's enough of what?" Roy raised an eyebrow, most likely curious as to what was causing the stupid grin that was spread over Rebecca's face.

"Nothing. Rebecca was just leaving." Riza downed the rest of her glass and accepted the new one that Roy now offered her, setting her empty flute down on a nearby table.

"Congratulations, Fuhrer Firesnaps!" Rebecca waved before vanishing toward the bar, leaving the two alone.

Roy gently took Riza by the elbow. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something... in private. Do you mind if we duck into the hedges, really quick?"

"Is everything okay?" Riza scanned Roy's face, concerned. He looked worried about something, and she bet that it was likely connected to what was worrying him earlier.

"Everything's fine! I just wanted... to talk." He looked away, scanning the crowd for the easiest way to the hedges.

"Of course." Riza nodded. As he guided her through the crowd (a nod here, a polite "_hello!_" there), her eye caught sight of something black and white... and furry. She paused and blinked for a moment, wondering if she was seeing things. A moment later, she could clearly make out a small, familiar face between the legs of several guests. Hayate was at the party. "_Shit_."

"What?" Roy looked down at Riza, halted by her pause. She looked up at him, pleading.

"Can whatever you need to say wait for a few minutes? I just realized that there's something I need to take care of right away." She handed her still-full glass back to him. With an apologetic look, she dashed off in the direction of her troublesome dog without waiting for Roy to respond.

* * *

Hayate darted between the legs of unsuspecting party guests, already overwhelmed. He wasn't used to so many smells, sounds, and people. He yelped as a thin heel came close to crushing his front paw. He had picked up a scent, and he was determined to reach the source of that scent even amid all the confusion. He momentarily found himself lost int he folds of a woman's floor-length dress, scrambling around amidst the fabric until he finally found freedom. As soon as he emerged, however, the scent was gone, replaced by the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke. Familiar or not, Hayate sneezed.

"You're not supposed to be here, lil' pup!" Two large hands scooped Hayate up, and he was soon face-to-face with Jean Havoc. "Hawkeye's gonna be _pissed_ when she finds out you're free!"

A woman's face peered up over Havoc's shoulder, and Hayate soon found himself being squeezed within an inch of his life, that face pressed up against his fur. "But Hayate's just so _cute_!" Rebecca squealed. "We can take him inside ourselves! And besides," she lowered her voice and winked at Havoc, "inside there are lots of rooms where no one would think to look for us."

"Yes, ma'am!" Havoc took Hayate back, holding him up by his middle and at arms-length. "Let's get you back inside!"

Held precariously in the air, Hayate was reunited with the scent he had been tracking - and with it, a visual. Fuery hadn't been exaggerating about the size of the cake, towering almost four feet above the table on which it rested. Hayate's tail began to wag at the very sight of it. All it took was a well-placed bite to Havoc's hand, and Hayate was free. After briefly recovering once he hit the ground, Hayate was off toward the cake.

Hayate quickly made his way to the center of the yard, to the heart of the festivities. Several guests commented on his presence and attempted to reach out to pet him, but Hayate successfully evaded their advances. Once in the center, though, Hayate was tempted by two additional scents - one the familiar scent of savory roast chicken (served regularly to him by his owner at home), and the other a similarly familiar scent of woman's perfume. The cake was new and exotic, but Hayate couldn't resist fresh meat, and perhaps his nearby mistress could help him obtain both! Wagging his tail, he trailed the perfume, soon coming face to face with one Riza Hawkeye. He paused while she looked at him, and only too late realized his mistake. She did not look happy to see him, as she usually did. If anything, she looked decidedly _un_happy. Hayate quickly decided that it was unlikely that she would help him obtain either meat or cake, and scampered off toward the (closer) meat as quickly as he could.

Reaching the buffet, a panting Hayate surveyed the numerous roast chickens that had been carved up for the guests, calculating the best way to obtain a piece. As luck would have it, Heymans Breda was loading his plate up with nothing but chicken and pork chops. Hayate scampered up to the unsuspecting man, preparing himself.

"_ROOF!_"

Hayate's single bark startled Breda, sending his plate up into the air. Hayate dove for a fallen leg before scurrying off with his prize, putting as much distance between himself and the now-shrieking man as possible.

* * *

Riza Hawkeye and Kain Fuery both reached the panicked Breda at the same time.

"Fuery, explain! Why is Hayate roaming the ball?" Riza frowned at the younger officer, who was beginning to look as panicked as Breda beside him.

"He bolted through the door before I could stop him!" Fuery pleaded. "I'm really sorry, Captain Hawkeye - really, I am!"

"Dog..." Breda panted, bracing himself against the buffet table. He looked down at his fallen plate and scattered food. "Damn... dog."

"I'm sure Hayate's just hungry! And lonely, being cooped up in that room!" Fuery wrung his hands.

"Fuery!" Riza rubbed her temple, sensing an oncoming headache.

"Just how much harm could Hayate possibly do?" Fuery continued to plead.

"Dog... attacked..." Breda gasped between bites of a newly-selected piece of chicken.

"Aside from how unprofessional Hayate's presence is...?" Riza looked pointedly at Breda. "It might take Breda all night to recover from being barked at by a dog." She sighed, beginning to feel slightly guilty about being so firm with Fuery. "Let's just split up and find Black Hayate. And try to keep this from Fuhrer Mustang - he's already stressed about something, and I don't want to add to that."

Fuery nodded, his shoulders relaxing a little at Riza's less-stern tone, and the two parted. Breda remained, staring blankly into space as he chewed at a drumstick.

Riza searched from the outskirts of the crowd, staying close to the food tables. She lifted each tablecloth, checking for evidence of her dog. Something cracked beneath her heel, and she looked down to see a gnawed-on chicken bone. She was close.

"Captain Hawkeye!"

Riza whirled around, relaxing only after she saw whose voice was calling her.

"Edward, is there something you need?"

"I don't, but the new Fuhrer is looking for you. He looks like it's important." Edward thought for a second. "Oh, and your dog's running around. In case you didn't know."

Riza's heart skipped a beat. "Fuhrer Mustang doesn't know... does he?"

"Nah, but he might find out if the dog succeeds in getting to the cake that he's been circling."

Riza groaned as she took off in the direction of the cake, Edward following close behind. As they approached, they could see Hayate tugging on the tablecloth, slowly inching the cake closer to the edge of the table. "I could have sworn I disciplined him better than this!"

"You disciplined your dog not to steal cake?"

"No, I - dammit, Edward!" Despite Edward's usual respect for her, he seemed to be getting a kick out of the current situation. He was most likely reveling in Mustang's subordinates being distracted from their superior on his big night.

Riza hurried to make a grab for Hayate, bending down in an attempt to scoop him up. It was all Hayate needed, though; using Riza's crouched figure as a stepping stool, Hayate leaped onto her shoulders and launched himself onto the table from there. Before Riza could stand to react, Hayate had buried his face into the cake.

For a second, Riza and Edward could only watch in shock as the front portion of Hayate's small body disappeared into the four foot cake. Once Hayate had actually tasted the cake, however, he grew disinterested. He did not resist, other than to squirm, when Riza pulled him away from the massive dessert. She groaned at the sight of her dog covered in green in yellow frosting. She hesitated to even glance at the damage done on the cake.

"Pst, Captain Hawkeye! Mustang's coming, so you might want to hide if you want to avoid him finding out about the dog!" Edward whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Riza cursed under her breath and resorted to the most accessible hiding spot at the moment - under the tablecloth. Clutching Hayate close, she dove under the table just in time to hear Edward greet Roy.

* * *

Roy was growing increasingly agitated with Riza's absence. Since she had suddenly fled, he had been forced to dance with the wives of four important generals, exchange in numerous pleasantries and small talk, and dodge an inquisitive Grumman all while trying to track down Riza. He kept glimpsing her here and there, but always managed to loose her amongst the guests.

Running into Fuery hadn't been any help; the young officer had acted jittery and nervous, giving vague answers while seeming to want to get away from his superior as soon as possible. He had directed Roy toward the buffet, where Roy had found a completely incoherent Breda, who kept looking at food that had fallen to the ground and sighing. Havoc and Rebecca Catalina were no where to be seen, either, but Roy very much doubted that Riza had gone off anywhere with the two of them.

When Edward Elric had showed up to tease him some more, he couldn't handle it, so he sent Elric to find Riza for him. When Fullmetal didn't return, and another dance with another military wife seemed imminent, Roy set out to find Riza once more. For a moment, he thought he had spotted her near the cake, talking to Fullmetal, but she quickly disappeared again as soon as Roy began walking over.

"Fullmetal! You wouldn't have happened to see Captain Hawkeye just now, by any chance? I could have sworn I saw her over here just a second ago."

"She was just here, but she had to... duck out." The odd, mischievous grin that spread across Elric's face as he delivered the last two words disturbed Roy.

Roy sighed, glancing over at the giant cake that Grumman had bragged about being custom made for the ball. He did a double take. "Something... happened to the cake."

A large chunk was missing from the center tier of the cake, with the tier below it disturbed as if a small animal had gotten into it.

Edward visibly gulped.

"Fullmetal, do you know what happened to the cake?"

"Well, you see, uh..." Edward scratched the back of his head, before sighing in defeat. "It was me."

"What?"

"I was so excited about the cake that I didn't want to wait for them to cut it later, and I just..." Edward reached out and scooped a handful of cake out of the already-damaged tier. He shoved the cake into his mouth. "So... good."

Roy stared at him in both disgust and disbelief. "Please... don't do that in front of me?"

"You got it, Fuhrer." Edward Elric was gone in an instant.

Roy let out a long, exasperated sigh. He reached into his pocket and removed the ring box, inspecting it in his hands. Riza was always so close to his side; he never imagined that finding her so that he could propose would be so difficult. He prepared to put the ring back in his pocket when a whirlwind of black, white, green, and yellow leapt out at him from under the table. Surprised, he dropped the ring. Within a second, what he could only assume was Black Hayate had scooped up the box in his mouth. Hayate looked at Roy, wagging his tail, before running off toward the mansion.

Roy groaned loudly before chasing after the dog. Didn't Hayate understand that this was not the time for fetch?

* * *

**A/N: No matter how much he likes making Mustang's life hell, Edward still respects Hawkeye too much to give away her hiding spot.**

**One chapter left!**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Last chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Before Black Hayate had jumped out and run off with Roy's ring box, Riza had been trying to hold his squirming body at arm's length under the table. Riza mentally cursed at the icing that covered her dog's fur; not only was she worried that the writhing canine would smear the confection on her dress, but that she would have to take time away from Roy's party to clean it off of him.

Riza smiled as she listened to Edward taking responsibility for the cake. She wished that she could see what he was doing out there to explain the damage, but she was sure that he had thought of something creative. It amused her that Edward was always so willing to stand up for her out of respect. She didn't think she deserved it.

Roy's audible sigh caught Riza's attention, changing her expression from a smile to a frown. What was he so worried about? It was _his_ night - he was finally in a position to make the changes to Amestris that he had desired for so long without hindrance. His dreams that they had discussed for years were finally coming to fruition... so why did he seem so concerned?

Riza was too distracted to notice that Hayate had stopped his squirming, and was now observing her with a quirked head. Suddenly, with one violent twitch, Hayate freed himself from her hands to launch himself at her face. Knocking her back onto the ground beneath the table (as he had once done with a certain Edward Elric), he gave his mistress several licks on the cheek before bounding out from under the tablecloth. Registering what had just happened, a horrified Riza slowly looked down at her dress. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank _god_ it was a v-neck, because Hayate had managed to smear icing across the front of her chest and neck in his escape. The only damage to the dress was two paw-prints above her breasts from his pounce, visible in yellow frosting. She could wash those out easily in the bathroom... she hoped.

A hand lifted the tablecloth next to Riza, and Edward's head peaked under. "Mustang's gone, but I think it's because he saw your dog- oh." Edward pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing at the icing-covered Riza, sprawled on the ground.

"Did you see where they went?" Riza tried to ignore the fact that this was one of the most undignified positions in which she had ever publicly been.

Edward offered a hand to Riza, which she accepted, and helped her out from beneath the table. They earned the stares of a few confused guests, but most of the partygoers were dancing at the center of the garden. Riza avoided eye contact - hopefully they wouldn't recognize her as the new Fuhrer's aide. Edward considered her question for a moment, looking around. He had gotten so tall; he certainly had the height advantage over Riza when it came to looking for people in a crowd. "I don't see them out here, and I think Mustang chasing a dog would be pretty noticeable. They might have gone inside."

Riza nodded. "Thank you, Edward." She began to hurry off toward the mansion, but was stopped by Edward.

"Uh, Captain?"

"Yes?" She turned to look at him to find that he had removed his suit jacket, which he now extended toward her.

"You should, uh, take this. To hide the icing." He blushed, and Riza smiled.

"Thank you, Edward." Accepting the jacket, Riza returned to tracking down Hayate.

* * *

Roy cursed as he lifted the skirt of a bed in one of the mansion's guest rooms. He pulled an ignition glove out of pants pocket and fitted it onto his hand, creating a small flame with a snap that illuminated the space beneath the bed. No Black Hayate. He grumbled as he extinguished the flame. Since the dog had entered the house, Roy had been able to hear the echoes of his paws on the floor, but had been unable to actually catch sight of his query. There was a good possibility that Hayate was still on the main floor, dodging between rooms as Roy had checked them before Roy gave up and advanced to the second floor.

The sound of the back door opening and closing echoed through the mansion, and Roy cursed again. Was someone looking for him? It would appear incredibly foolish for the new Fuhrer to be found hunting down a dog in the middle of his own inauguration ball.

A voice called out from below. "Hayate?"

Roy felt the blood drain from his face as he slowly stood up. Riza. He still needed to talk to her, but in order to talk to her, he had to have the ring, and in order to have the ring, he needed to find Hayate. He had spent all night trying to find her, but now that he knew exactly where she was, he was unable to do anything about it. Should he suggest that they team up and hunt down Hayate together? They made an excellent team, which was why they made such an excellent couple. Roy knew that if they worked together to find Hayate, the dog would be discovered in minutes. On the other hand, that would risk Riza seeing the ring before Roy could present it to her... which was also a risk if they searched separately. He let out a loud groan.

"Roy, is that you?"

Roy hesitated in answering, listening to her heels against the floor as they made their way to the staircase with a steady rhythm, which soon turned into an irregular clunking noise as she began to ascend the hardwood steps. Roy exhaled. "Yeah, it's me." He turned and walked out of the guest room, meeting Riza at the top of the stairs. He blinked a few times at her frazzled appearance; a few hairs had escaped from her coiffure, and a mixture of green and yellow icing trailed its way down from the left half of her face to... a jacket. Roy frowned. "Why are you wearing a jacket? That isn't _my_ jacket. _Whose_ jacket is that?" A new kind of worry began to sink in - just where had she been for the whole party? He had begun to assume that she had been chasing her dog, but seeing her in another man's jacket spread a panic in Roy that he was sure could be easily reasoned out in his head were he not already at his wit's end in stress.

He had already decided to burn alive the man whose jacket it was when Riza rolled her eyes. "It's Edward's. He gave it to me because Hayate smeared icing all over me." She calmly removed the jacket and hung it on the bannister, revealing the rest of the icing-trail.

"Fullmetal...?" Roy began to relax. Surveying the damage that Hayate had done, he noted the yellow paw-prints. "Damn dog has gotten more action than I have, tonight." He expected a look of disapproval from Riza the moment he said it, but was surprised when his comment was awarded with a short laugh.

"Hah!" Riza looked shocked for a moment at her own amusement. Roy felt the corners of his lips tugging upwards, and he noticed Riza's doing the same. Soon, they were both laughing. Roy cupped Riza's cheeks and brought their foreheads together, enjoying the way her whole frame shook with her laughter.

"I had thought that you were avoiding me all night, but you were just chasing that dog, weren't you?"

"Yes! And I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to worry you... which, in the end, worried you all the same!"

Roy grinned, tilting his head and kissing her icing-covered cheek. He let out another laugh when he tasted the sweetness against his lips. "I had _thought_ that Fullmetal's story about the cake was a little far-fetched... even for him!"

Riza grinned back as she reached up to wipe lingering icing from the corner of Roy's mouth. Then, she frowned. "He mentioned that you were looking for me earlier, and that it seemed important. You've acted worried since before the ball even started, long before I had to run off to chase Hayate. Tell me what's on you mind, Roy." She reached up to cover his hands with her own, her eyes pleading with him.

Roy stared back, his mind racing. He couldn't lie to her; she knew him too well. Plus, he didn't want to lie - he cared about her too much to be dishonest. But to propose without a ring felt so _wrong_ \- nothing like the way he had imagined proposing in his mind. He had wanted it to be special, to be _perfect_ \- a private and romantic moment between just the two of them. He briefly considered putting the proposal off for another night, but quickly pushed the idea aside. It had to be tonight. He opened his mouth, searching for words with which to begin. "Riza, I-"

Roy was interrupted by the sound of paws clicking irregularly as they came up the stairs. Riza and Roy broke away, watching as Black Hayate's icing-covered head came into view. The dog proudly trotted in between the two and sat right at Riza's feet, gazing up at her with adoring eyes as if he had done nothing wrong.

But puppy-dog eyes were no match for Riza Hawkeye. Putting on her most disapproving face, Riza glared down at her dog. Her voice was cold and stern when she began to discipline the Shiba Inu. "Hayate-!" She paused when Hayate bent his head forward and set down the small square box. Having done this, Hayate returned to gazing at Riza adoringly, his wagging tail thumping against the floor. Riza bent down to pick up the box, her face inquisitive. "Roy, do you know what this..." Realization dawned on her and her head snapped up, her eyes scanning Roy's face. "You were planning to propose."

Roy gulped and nodded.

"And Hayate took the ring. Which is why you were chasing him." Riza turned the box over in her hands, cleaning bits of icing off of it with her thumbs.

Roy nodded again, before finding his voice, which came out in a hurried jumble of phrases. "I had wanted to ask you alone, and then in public, if you agreed, since I want us to be public, but then I couldn't find you, and-"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes. I'll marry you."

Roy frowned. "You're supposed to let me ask you, first."

"Then ask."

"I prepared a speech to begin with. To tell you how much you mean to me." Roy tugged on his collar; things were not going according to plan.

"I don't need to hear a speech to know that." Riza smirked and handed him the box. She bent down and picked up Hayate before beginning to make her way down the hall toward their bedroom.

"Wait - where are you going? I'm proposing!" Roy trailed after her.

"I already said yes!" Riza laughed as Roy followed her into the bathroom, where she had begun to draw up a bath for Hayate. As the tub began to fill, she got out a washcloth and surveyed herself in the mirror. "If you still want to give your heart-wrenching speech full of feelings of which we are both already aware, then give it. I'm just going to clean up Hayate's mess while you do so."

Roy stared at her, aghast. "You want to _multi-task_ my _proposal_?"

"It's more practical."

"Unbelievable." Roy sat on the edge of the tub, watching Hayate splash in the rising water.

Riza smirked at him through the mirror as she worked at cleaning the pawprints off of her dress. "People are probably already starting to wonder where their new Fuhrer has disappeared to. If you want to give a flowery proposal speech during the toasts, I promise that you will have my full attention. But for now, I think we should focus on returning to the party as soon as possible."

Roy grumbled. "You're right. As always." A smile crept over his face. "I'm going to make it so flowery that you blush in front of all the Amestrian elite."

Riza turned to look at him over her shoulder, returning the grin. "Just because I've said yes _in here_ doesn't necessarily mean I won't say no _out there_." She turned back to the mirror and began wiping the icing off of her face.

"You _wouldn't_!" Roy gasped. He half-believed her.

"No," Riza considered, beginning on her chest. "But I'd be awfully tempted to, should you make it too flowery."

"Fine, I'll keep it simple." Roy reached over and turned the water to the tub off. Black Hayate continued to splash around, turning the water a light brown color as the icing on his fur began to dissolve. The dog paddled over to Roy and licked at his hand, covered in frosting from cupping Riza's cheek. He raised an eyebrow at the dog. "You're grounded. No more parties." Hayate barked and beat his tail against the water.

* * *

Riza watched as her grandfather released his furrowed brow when she and Roy walked out of the mansion.

"Where have you two been? It's time for toasts and cake!" He whispered to Riza, his voice a worried hiss.

"Hayate caused some trouble, but it's all taken care of."

He nodded. "Very well, then." He looked at Roy. "They're expecting you at the front of the garden. It's best we go ahead with the toasts and serve the cake before any more guests notice that something happened to it." He smiled.

Offering Riza his arm, Roy led them up to the table at the front of the garden, where the cake decorated in Amestrian colors was set up. Glasses of sparkling wine were handed to them, and soon the guests began to gather around their new Fuhrer.

The clinking of a glass by Grumman drew the attention of the rest of the guests, silencing them. "Before the toasts commence, I believe that Fuhrer Mustang has a few words to start us off." Grumman grinned mischievously at Roy and Riza, almost causing Riza to gasp in realization. _He had known Roy's plan!_ Grumman gave his granddaughter a wink before looking back at the guests. "Without further ado, your Fuhrer."

"Thank you, sir." Roy nodded at Grumman. "I want to thank you all for being here, and for your continued support. Becoming Fuhrer of this nation, and having the opportunity to make it an even better nation, has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Achieving this dream would have never been possible without many of you. But there is one person without whom I would have never made it close to where I am today. She is standing here beside me, where she has always stood, and where I hope she will continue to stand until death do us part." He set his glass down on the table behind them, beside the mutilated cake.

Riza's eyes widened. Up in the mansion, when it was just the two of them, she hadn't thought much about what a "public" proposal entailed. She had just been happy that he had proposed. But this was very public. All eyes had suddenly shifted to her, now - a very foreign feeling. She was used to being to the side, acknowledged but overlooked. The attention, the spotlight, was always on Roy. The blood rose to Riza's cheeks and she could tell her face was already bright pink. Dammit! Roy hadn't even said anything too terribly flowery, and she was already blushing! Her heart nearly stopped as he dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. Amestris' new _Fuhrer_ had dropped to his knee for _her_. Riza fought the urge to hide her still-growing blush with her hands. She could hear a loud squeal come from Rebecca Catalina in the crowd. He opened the box to reveal a dazzling, sparkling ring that would likely seem simple to the casual viewer but was practical and perfect to her.

"Captain Riza Hawkeye, will you marry me?"

Riza looked down into his dark, onyx eyes - still full of hope despite everything they'd been through. She could hear the encouraging shouts from the rest of the team in the distance. An unknown voice volunteered to marry Roy if she didn't. The child in her, who had grown up teasing Roy, was tempted to follow through on her threat to say no... but the woman in her, who had watched Roy's back through thick and thin, who would willingly follow him into hell if asked, couldn't be so cruel.

Her voice was a whisper, but loud enough for the crowd that had hushed in her own silence. "Yes."

Mustang's team was the first to erupt into cheers as Roy slipped the ring onto her finger. Grumman grinned from ear to ear. Edward smirked and nodded in approval toward her and Roy, while Al whooped and hollered next to him. Riza watched Roy as she stood up, a million thoughts flying through her head about the implications of engagement and marriage. She had never felt a need for their relationship to be publicly "official," and it was simultaneously overwhelming and surprisingly reassuring. She kept eye contact with Roy, trying to block out that over two hundred people were still staring at them.

"I thought you would make it more flowery."

"You were already bright red. I couldn't do that to you." Roy leaned down to place a chaste kiss on Riza's mouth. Riza froze, then instinctively whipped her head around to gauge people's reactions. Roy chuckled. "No one cares, now - we're engaged." He still held the hand that he had placed the ring on; he brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

He was right, Riza realized. Most people had turned back to their own conversations, waiting for the next toast. Only Edward Elric continued to smirk and nod at them, something quickly noticed by Roy.

"What do you want, Fullmetal?"

"Get a room."

"Isn't it past your _bedtime_?"

"_My_ wedding's going to be better than yours."

"Is that a challenge? If so,_ you're on_."

Alphonse began to look worried next to his brother, but Riza rolled her eyes. She would have to give Winry a call - both grooms had the potential to be bigger divas than their brides if not reminded to behave.

Soon enough, Grumman was clinking another glass, signaling the start of the official toasts and serving of the cake.

"What happened to the cake?" Someone loudly inquired among the guests.

Roy smirked. "It was Fullmetal." A murmur of understanding rippled through the crowd, and no one questioned it any further.

* * *

**Fin.**

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